Jahangiri: Judiciary and Friday Imams Should Respect the Decisions of the Ministry of Culture

Isaac Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, on Tuesday warned individuals acting "outside the law" in the country and urged the Judiciary, Friday Imams, and "revolutionary" forces to respect the decisions of the Minister of Culture. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Mr. Jahangiri made this request on Tuesday, November 8, during the ceremony for the farewell and introduction of the former and new Ministers of Culture. He stated, "The law must be respected in the country and the signature of the Ministry of Culture should be respected by all, including the Judiciary, Friday Imams, and revolutionary forces." He added, "To those who think they can act beyond the law, I say that a day will come when they themselves will suffer from this situation." The Judiciary, Friday Imams, and Hezbollah forces are three opposing groups against holding concerts and some programs of the Ministry of Culture, which have led to the cancellation of concerts in several cities. Over the past three years, while Ali Jannati was in charge of the Ministry of Culture, these three groups directed many attacks and criticisms at him and his performance. The opposition to holding concerts and the extensive pressures on the Minister of Culture ultimately led to Ali Jannati's resignation. Hassan Rouhani accepted this resignation and proposed Reza Salehi Amiri as the new Minister of Culture to the parliament, which also granted him a vote of confidence. The farewell and introduction ceremony of Jannati and Salehi Amiri was held yesterday with the first vice president praising them and criticizing some pressures against this ministry. Mr. Jahangiri mentioned that "the legal and legal power of the Ministry of Culture has diminished and its share of material resources has also decreased." He also spoke about institutions and organizations that have accepted responsibility in the cultural field and received resources but have not been accountable in various matters. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its subsidiaries, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, seminaries, and many governmental institutions are among those that receive budget from the government for cultural work. Officials of the eleventh government have implicitly criticized the actions and programs of these institutions in the cultural field over the past three years, stating that they are not very committed to their duties and missions. The managers of these institutions, who have various media at their disposal, have also questioned the policies of the Ministry of Culture under Hassan Rouhani and have seriously criticized these policies over the past three years. Issuing permits for holding concerts in several cities was one of the main points of contention between these institutions, the Judiciary, Friday Imams, and Hezbollah forces during Ali Jannati's tenure, which led to the cancellation of dozens of concerts in recent years.